Lady sues Peller, demands N395m over viral lounge video

A Lagos-based woman, Osarobo Odigie, has initiated legal proceedings against TikToker Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, seeking N395 million in damages following an alleged incident involving defamation, cyber harassment, and invasion of privacy.

In a pre-action letter dated March 10, 2026, signed by Bola Osineye of FA Garrick & Co., the claimant’s legal team detailed an encounter that occurred in the early hours of January 6, 2026, at Folixxx Lounge in Lekki.

According to the letter, Odigie was at the lounge to purchase food when she was startled by a “loud outburst” from the influencer.

“Our client was present at Folixxx Lounge… for the purpose of purchasing food. While standing at the counter/cashier area, our client was suddenly startled by your loud outburst directly behind her.

“You aggressively approached her and proceeded to instruct her to ‘shut up’. When she requested that you moderate yourself in a public space, you immediately resorted to verbal abuse, including but not limited to Yoruba curses”, the letter read.

The lawyers allege that after Odigie requested Hamzat to moderate his volume in public, he responded with verbal abuse and Yoruba slurs. 

Furthermore, the letter claims Hamzat recorded the confrontation without consent and published the video across Snapchat, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram, where it quickly went viral among his substantial following.

“You proceeded to escalate the situation by producing your mobile phone and using the same to record our client without her consent. You thereafter published the video on your Snapchat, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms, causing public ridicule of our client,” the letter added.

The claimant alleges that the publication led to significant reputational damage, emotional distress, and cyberbullying.

“Our client has suffered significant emotional distress and has developed genuine fears for her safety.

“Owing to your substantial online presence and following as a streamer and public influencer, the video went viral almost immediately… triggering thousands of comments, many of which reiterated and amplified your defamatory remarks against her,” the letter stated.

Consequently, the legal team is demanding: N200m as compensation for defamatory publication; N100m for emotional trauma and reputational harm; N75m for distress caused by cyberbullying and threats and N20m for legal fees.

In addition to the financial demands, the claimant is seeking immediate removal of the content from all platforms and a public apology published on his social media and in two national newspapers.

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“You are required to issue a clear, unequivocal, and public apology to our client across all platforms where the defamatory content was published,” the lawyers said.

While Hamzat previously issued a public apology on January 9 admitting his reaction was out of character, the claimant’s lawyers have warned that failure to comply with these new demands within seven days will result in the commencement of formal legal proceedings.

“Should you fail, refuse, or neglect to comply… our client shall, without further recourse to you, institute appropriate legal proceedings against you,” the letter stated.